WNBA's Sky dismiss head coach Teresa Weatherspoon after 1 season

The Chicago Sky fired coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one season despite having two of the WNBA's most promising rookies.

The Sky confirmed the decision Friday, a day after two newspapers reported the move.

"After careful consideration, we have decided it is in the best interest of the organization to part ways with head coach Teresa Weatherspoon," Sky co-owner and operating chairman Nadi Rawlinson said in a statement. "We are deeply appreciative of Coach TSpoon's contributions to the Chicago Sky, and the energy and passion she brought to the head coaching role.

"We thank her for inspiring a competitive, resilient spirit across the team, synonymous with Chicago Sky basketball."

Chicago finished this season 13-27 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018, despite drafting star rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The next coach will be the team's fourth since the Sky won the WNBA championship in 2021.

Weatherspoon's firing could affect the future of Reese, who along with Indiana's Caitlin Clark helped draw record ratings and attendance figures after taking their rivalry from the colleges to the pros.

Reese expressed her support for Weatherspoon in a post on X.

I’m heartbroken. I’m literally lost for words knowing what this woman meant to me in such a pivotal point in my life. She was the only person that believed in me. The one that trusted me. Many don’t even know what it’s like to be a black women in sports when nobody believes in…

Reese likely would have set the league record for rebounds in a season had she not missed Chicago's final six games because of a wrist injury. That didn't stop her from setting several other marks. She averaged a league-record 13.1 rebounds, and her 26 double-doubles were the